(SACRAMENTO – October 2, 2012) The Green Party of California announced today that it will support Proposition 30 and oppose Proposition 38, two competing budget initiatives on the November ballot targeted toward funding California schools and closing the budget gap.

"The Green Party endorsed Prop 30, because the party favors progressive taxation and Prop 30 would provide modest increases in the tax rates of the state's highest income earners," said party co-spokesperson Michael Feinstein. "The Green Party would've preferred to respond to the budget crisis with comprehensive tax reform to put our state on a more sustainable path. That would include a substantially more progressive income tax at the top, along with addressing Prop 13 reform, eliminating corporate welfare, and establishing a severance tax on oil and a carbon tax on all fossil fuels. But unfortunately, the political process failed to give the public a sufficient range of choices. Given the status quo, the Green Party endorses Prop 30 as the best short-term option to a long-term crisis."

By contrast, the Green Party opposes Prop 38, according to party co-spokesperson Laura Wells. "Prop 38 perpetuates the idea that 'shared sacrifice' is needed to resolve our schools’ budget problems, by taxing the middle class instead of enacting more progressive taxation on the highest income levels."

"Californians are ready for more progressive taxes," added Wells, who was the Green Party's 2010 gubernatorial candidate, "as evidenced by the fact that the original Millionaires Tax was polling higher than either Prop 38 or Governor Brown's original version of Prop 30. This show of support by and for the 'tax-the-rich', student and Occupy movements ultimately forced Governor Jerry Brown to make his original tax proposal more progressive, which resulted in a more progressive Prop 30."

The Green Party also announced positions on the other budgetary measures; Proposition 31 and 39; opposing Prop 31 for “unconditionally accepting of an austerity approach to governing, rather than suggesting alternatives to it” and supporting Prop 39 for closing loopholes in the tax code for out-of-state corporations and allocating part of the raised revenue toward green energy and energy efficiency.

“Prop 39 does several related things at once the Green Party favors – it closes a corporate welfare tax loophole and addresses the state's budget structural deficit, while creating new green jobs and addressing climate change," added Feinstein, who worked on sustainability issues as a former Mayor and City Councilmember in Santa Monica. "That's why we enthusiastically support it."

"By contrast, the Green Party sees Prop 31 as the wrong answer to the right question," added Wells, who was arrested trying to attend a 2010 gubernatorial debate. "If we are debating what tools do we need to address fiscal emergencies, why not eliminate the 2/3 requirement to raise taxes by the legislature instead? Or if that is too ambitious for the two Titanic Parties, why not give the Governor the power to unilaterally raise taxes on taxpayers whose income and wealth is in the top 1% in California, rather than cut programs that benefit millions of Californians?"

The full text of the party's statements on these propositions are here: